Assistant Program Director / Fieldwork Coordinator
Leslie Ordal graduated with her MSc. in Genetic Counseling from the University of Toronto in 2014. She started her career working for the research ethics board (IRB) at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario. She then moved to Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital to take a position as the manager of a pediatric neuroscience lab, where she worked with scientists investigating communication disorders and novel treatments to promote neuroplasticity. As a research manager, she recruited, trained, and mentored staff multiple undergraduate and graduate students.
Prior to becoming a genetic counselor, Ordal worked as a medical writer and editor, with two years spent developing continuing medical education for paramedics in the province of Ontario. She has continued to write and edit throughout her career as a genetic counselor, with her work encompassing clinical research, patient education, and laboratory genetics, as well as knowledge translation activities. She has recently become involved in the new field of narrative medicine, completing a year-long course in the subject at Massey College at the University of Toronto and regularly contributing to CLOSLER, a Johns Hopkins Medicine project to promote clinical excellence via reflective essays about clinical practice.
Ordal is active in clinical research, collaborating in studies to assess patient preferences in receiving whole genome sequencing results, evaluate methods for delivering clinical interventions to children with severe and complex disabilities, and improve primary care for intersex individuals. A member of the LGBTQ+ community, she has a strong interest in advocacy in this area and promoting visibility in the genetic counseling profession.
Ordal sits on the IRB at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, providing expert review for studies with genetic focus or component, and previously served in a similar role at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. She has been a member of the new genetics- and genomics-only IRB for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, which reviews all genetic and genomics research involving human participants that takes place in the province. She has also advised on the creation and updating of policies pertaining to genetics and genomics in clinical research.
Ordal is an active member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, currently serving as the Chair of the Research SIG’s Grant Award Committee and as a member of the Human Pedigree Nomenclature practice resource author group. She has been involved in efforts to promote mentorship opportunities within the NSGC, especially for early career genetic counselors looking to publish their Master’s research.
Courses:
- GENCOUN 515 Healthcare Principles & Public Health
- GENCOUN 549 Fieldwork I
- GENCOUN 542 Professional Issues III
- GENCOUN 570 Scholarly Project I
- GENCOUN 571 Scholarly Project II
- GENCOUN 572 Scholarly Project III
- GENCOUN 692 Capstone Project IV